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PROVO — A 26-year-old man was injured Friday after almost being caught in an avalanche near Aspen Grove in Provo Canyon.
Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said the avalanche was very small and the man did not get caught in it. The man was skiing and injured his knee when he turned to get out of the way of the avalanche Friday morning.
The victim was assisted down the canyon by Search and Rescue team members, Cannon said.
This avalanche comes only 10 days after a much larger avalanche in Provo Canyon at Bridal Veil Falls that left snow piled as deep as 60 feet at the base of the falls. Utah County deputies are warning people to stay away from the area and to not climb on the snow banks.
Cannon said as the snow melts, it does so not only from the top down but from the ground up — leaving the potential for deep drop-offs hidden by only a few inches to a few feet of snow.
"If you walk on that at the wrong time or anytime, and that gives way, you may have a fall of 40 or 50 or 60 feet to rocks below and that may be life-threatening," Cannon told KSL-TV in an interview Thursday.
Cannon said some people had ignored previous warnings and have gone onto the massive snow pile.
He said signs clearly marked that the general area was closed, though he acknowledged that Bridal Veil Falls is popular in winter for ice climbers and others.
"It's hard to keep people away because year-round this is a popular attraction," Cannon said.
Cannon urged people to not go near the avalanche deposit and stay away from the closed-off area in general.
"Do not trespass here," Cannon said. "People want to see it but they have to understand how dangerous it can be."
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